Business has been good for Javier Zamarripa since he opened his Taco Mobil taqueria a month and a half ago at 825 Sebastian Blvd. (the corner of CR 512 and Melrose in Sebastian).
He is 38, outgoing and friendly, with plenty of charm and a positive attitude.
It wasn’t that long ago that the Fellsmere resident was scrambling, trying to figure out a Plan B after the city of Fellsmere had denied his request for a conditional use permit so he could relocate his business, a mobile taqueria, that he had been operating on a vacant lot for seven years on North Broadway Street.
The business had been grandfathered in after the city banned mobile food vendors, but, recently, the lot’s owner had made plans to develop it. Zamarripa hoped to get permission to relocate his mobile unit to family-owned property on Elm Street until it could be converted into a small restaurant, asking for up to five years lead time.
The city, however, felt there had been enough time for the family to have developed the property, and that it would be unfair to other mobile vendors who might want a similar permit.
So Zamarripa began looking for another location. Finding nothing suitable in Fellsmere, he broadened his search and found the 512 location, a building that had last housed a Penny Hill Sub shop and had been empty for a while, in a very desirable location under shady trees, across from a quiet residential community and also visible and accessible to the bustling 512 business corridor. He was able to lease it and soon opened his first business that wasn’t on wheels.
Although he never dreamed he’d have a restaurant, or anything to do with food, he says, “Since I was a little kid, I always tried to be a businessman. I’d buy a bike for $15 and sell it for $20.” For years, he played guitar and was lead vocalist in a band – “Grupo Silencia” – that played locally and, later, did a lot of touring, and recorded two CDs.
Being a musician in a travelling band worked well for a single young guy but, when Zamarripa married Melina and they had America, now 11, and Junior, now 6, it seemed like the right time to settle down.
A friend he had met on tour, who had a successful catering business, had become a sort of mentor, and, one day, asked him if he’d ever thought of running a taqueria. “Are you kidding me?” was the immediate response. But, when his friend offered to sell him his mobile food trailer, Zamarripa decided “it was pretty cool.”
For a while he worked with the band and operated the food wagon – and Melina was not a fan, at first.
Ultimately, Zamarripa quit his music career to devote full time to his family and his business, which his wife grew to support wholeheartedly. Now they are a team, and also the Taco Mobil cooks.
Ironically, the Fellsmere Taco Mobil is still in operation, on the same lot, since the owner’s development plans have been postponed indefinitely. Melina and a small crew operate in Fellsmere, and Zamarripa and his staff of six keep busy in Sebastian.
Business at Taco Mobil is brisk, and totally word-of-mouth. “I just make the best food I can and customers find me.” As Zamarripa sat at the outside table talking about his new location, customers called to him as they returned to their cars.
“Good, as usual!” called a man and his wife.
“How was everything?” Zamarripa asks another.
“Very good! It always is!”
“Hey, did you get a chocoflan?” Zamarripa asks a man carting a go-bag to his truck. He has created a new dessert and was testing it for the first time. He goes and gets a foam box and brings it to the man, who peeks under the lid. It is a round, thick confection, half creamy flan and half dark, very moist chocolate cake. The man closes the box and says he hopes he can get it home to his wife in one piece.
Taco Mobil has a devoted Fellsmere following and it looks like the same is already happening in Sebastian. On a Friday night, the handful of tables in the little place is occupied, and a steady flow of customers come and go with take-outs. Zamarripa offers straightforward Mexican food: tacos, some salads, lot of extras and toppings, soft drinks. And probably the most popular dish, the Burrito Bowl, offered with pork, chicken, steak, or barbacoa.
When a resident warns him that several other restaurants on the same spot have tried and failed, he simply says, “That’s not gonna be me! We’ve had some troubles but I don’t regret anything. I’m still here. It has been great working with the city. We’re so excited. We get more customers every day. You never know what’s going to happen, but you’ve got to stay positive. I’m that kind of person. If I’ve got a problem, I don’t quit. And my wife supports me all the time so I can do it.”
